New crime statistics to be released

The latest picture of levels of crime across England and Wales will be revealed today as official figures are published.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which reflects experience of crime, and police-recorded crime figures will be published by the Office for National Statistics for the year to September 2014.

However, police-recorded crime statistics remain stripped of the ”national statistics” by the UK Statistics Authority.

In the last batch of statistics, the CSEW showed an estimated 7.1 million incidents of crime against households and adults in England and Wales for the year ending June 2014. This represented a 16% drop compared with the previous year’s survey.

The figures also revealed that rape levels recorded by police in England and Wales had hit their highest ever level.

The number increased 29% to 22,116 incidents in the year to June, the highest level recorded, the ONS said.

Statisticians said the rise was driven by an increase in the willingness to come forward and report the offences – dubbed the ”Yewtree effect” after the Scotland Yard investigation into Jimmy Savile and others – as well as an improvement in police recording practices.